A TEACHER has been found guilty of murdering a 13-month-old boy he had adopted with his male partner just months before the child’s death. Jamie Farley, 37, was found guilty at Preston Crown Court of murdering Preston Davey in July 2023.
His accomplice, John McGowan-Fazzackerley, 32, was convicted of sexual assault, cruelty to children and allowing a child to be killed, the BBC reported.The court heard that Preston was adopted by the couple in April 2023 after spending the first months of his life in a foster home. During the short time he lived with them, he was subjected to repeated abuse, sexual assaults and physical assaults, prosecutors said.Preston was born in June 2022 and was taken into the care of Oldham Council shortly after her birth.
He was placed with foster parents when he was five days old and stayed with them for the first 10 months of his life before Farley and McGowan-Fazakerley adopted him.Jurors heard that in less than four months that Preston lived with the couple in Blackpool, he suffered 40 traumatic injuries. The court also heard that indecent photos and videos were taken of the child.Farley initially told police that Preston accidentally drowned in the bathroom after leaving it unattended for a short time.
However, prosecutors said the story did not fit the evidence.When Preston was taken to the hospital on July 27, 2023, he was unresponsive. The trial heard his hair was dry, he was still wearing a nappy, and there was no evidence he had swallowed water.A post-mortem examination conducted by the Home Office ruled out drowning as the cause of death. Medical experts concluded that Preston died of acute upper airway obstruction caused by an object or objects being inserted into his mouth.The trial also heard that Preston was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital three times before his death with bruises and suspicious injuries. The medical staff raised concerns, but the explanations given by the defendants were accepted at the time. Many social workers also had contact with the family during this period.After an eight-week trial, jurors spent about 14 hours deliberating before returning guilty verdicts on multiple charges.Farley was found guilty of murder, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to children, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of making indecent images or videos of a child, one count of distributing an indecent image of a child and one count of making an indecent image.McGowan-Fazzackerley was found guilty of permitting the murder of a child, two counts of cruelty to children, and one count of sexual assault of a child.Chief Inspector Andy Fallows described the pair as “absolutely vicious”, saying the abuse began almost immediately after Preston was placed in their care.“For the first nine months of his life, Preston was a happy, healthy baby, but by the end he was a broken shell,” Fallows said.
